Dansbury Depot makeover stays on track

There's still plenty of work to be done inside the Dansbury Depot, but plans for the historic train station are chugging along under the leadership of new East Stroudsburg Downtown Manager Sue Randall.

Comment

By CHRISTINA TATU

poconorecord.com

By CHRISTINA TATU

Posted Jan. 11, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By CHRISTINA TATU

Posted Jan. 11, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» RELATED CONTENT

East Stroudsburg native is new ECA leader

Sue Randall started as East Stroudsburg downtown manager in June.

She replaces former Downtown Manager Cheryl Hayne, who was ousted by the ECA's board of directors in November 2011 for reas...

» Read more

X

East Stroudsburg native is new ECA leader

Sue Randall started as East Stroudsburg downtown manager in June.

She replaces former Downtown Manager Cheryl Hayne, who was ousted by the ECA's board of directors in November 2011 for reasons it never specified.

A life-long resident of East Stroudsburg, Randall worked for 14 years as the children's ministry director at East Stroudsburg United Methodist Church.

She began working with the Dansbury Depot Committee, an ad hoc committee overseeing the renovations along with the ECA, in 2011.

Randall, along with her daughter and several of her daughter's friends, volunteered to work on the depot's annual Santa Train event that year after they heard the train "needed some elves."

Several months later, she heard the ECA was searching for a new downtown manager and decided to apply.

"I just feel a really strong connectedness to the community, and I care," she said.

Randall's father, Jack Wallie, was a former East Stroudsburg Borough councilman and president of ESSA Bank & Trust.

Randall went to J.M. Hill Elementary School and graduated from East Stroudsburg High School South.

There's still plenty of work to be done inside the Dansbury Depot, but plans for the historic train station are chugging along under the leadership of new East Stroudsburg Downtown Manager Sue Randall.

Wednesday afternoon, Randall pointed out recent work done to the interior of the building. The framework of the walls is up, heating and electricity are on, and the next phase is to install insulation.

The Eastburg Community Alliance, which is overseeing the renovation, will move its offices there in the spring.

There will also be a conference room for local community groups to meet as well as the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, which will hold training sessions there, Randall said.

Pennsylvania Downtown is a nonprofit dedicated to the revitalization of downtown communities. It provides education to communities about revitalizing their central business districts and surrounding neighborhoods.

The depot will also house classroom space, a permanent model train display, as well as an elevated model train like the one that was in the Depot restaurant before it was destroyed by an October 2009 fire.

The engine from that display is the original, but unfortunately the rest of the model train melted in the fire, Randall said.

The ECA recently received a $50,000 Department of Community and Economic Development grant to go toward furnishing the interior.

It will be decorated with historically styled furniture so it looks like a train station, Randall said.

The former ticket booth, which is the first sight guests see as they walk through the door, will be a small gift shop selling depot-themed souvenirs.

There will also be coffee and free Wi-Fi, but the original plans for a coffee shop were scrapped.

Building a coffee shop would require installing a commercial-grade ventilation system, Randall said.

She wasn't sure of the exact cost, but said organizers decided not to "put their money there," choosing instead to focus on the museum and education aspects of the project.

Members of the community have donated local memorabilia that will be on permanent display.

Someone even gave DVD footage of trains as they pull into the East Stroudsburg stop, Randall said.

That footage will be displayed on big-screen televisions that will be mounted on the wall inside the classroom area.